This is fine.
If you didn’t catch our year end list, you might have missed out on how much we love Jeremy Jay. In our excitement, we almost overlooked the release of his new 12″ on K Records titled Love Everlasting, which will hit stores near you on January 20th. All this is in preparation for the release of his new album, Slow Dance, set to come your way in March. Check out this keyboard infused genius!
Download: Jeremy Jay-Love Everlasting [MP3]
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Occasionally you miss a release of a deserving band, and you spend your time thinking it over, wondering how it escaped you. Luckily, Silent Land Time Machine‘s & Hope Still is here to help you with your troubles. It’s not begging to be accepted by you, it simply carries on patiently, awaiting your listening experience.
Unlike most who create musical landscape music, the remarkable thing is that this project was created by one individual. There is not a slew of musicians willing to provide input, this is simply a wonderful creation by an individual. That being said, it also might be the one possible detractor, as occasionally the songs drag on a little bit, repeating patterns.
It’s hard to describe the exact sound of this record, as one would find it difficult to decipher every instrument being used and at which point. Then throw in some vocal samples bubbling underneath the structure of various songs, and you would be hard pressed to label this band as anything. One might be able to draw comparisons to M83‘s Before the Dawn Heals Us, but take that allusion, and leave it out in the woods to grow for several years. That is as close as one can proximate a definition for this band.
Seeing as it dwells in the creation of a soundscape, here is what one might picture as they listen to the album: You jumped in your car, as the day was sunny and clear, intent upon escaping the city, if only for a few hours. As you drive, the music kicks in, and your thoughts cease to remain relevant. The music is carrying you along, through densely wooded hills, across grasslands blowing in the breeze. Suddenly, the mood strikes you to pull over near a struggling stream. You watch atop an ancient bridge as the water trickles into nothingness. Seconds, minutes, hours all pass you by, but the only thing you feel, or hear, is the music on this album. You’ve drifted away, but as the album ends, it’s time to return.
You see, there is something about this album that provides an overwhelming warmth emotionally. It evokes something that very few albums are able to do, as it asks for nothing but your listening participation. Through its peaks and into its valleys, if you follow closely, you will be rewarded ultimately, as nothing soothes like the gentle sounds from & Hope Still.
Don’t forget that Silent Land Time Machine will be playing at Emos on January 23rd.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/01-everything-goes-to-shit.mp3]Download: Silent Land Time Machine – Everything Goes To Shit [MP3]
Some poor kid is listening to Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” for the first time today and he wants to like the song, he really does. The problem being that each time he hears Iggy say “I got a lust for Life” he pictures some nine year old cracker with a goofy smile running down the deck of a cruise liner. Thanks to the marketing gurus at Carnival Cruise Lines that song is most likely ruined for a generation. I know nowadays the kids like to fall all over themselves defending their decision to sell out, and I’m not saying that I wouldn’t punch my grandmother for a little extra bread, but it’s never a pretty sight when you see an artist you respect making a sales pitch for some crappy chain restaurant. Like it or not, when an artist lends their music to a commercial it then loses its creative and artistic merit and is relegated to the status of jingle. So here it is; after the jump is a list of five of the more heinous indie rock sellouts.
Calexico have a sweet new song that debuted this week on the Threadless t-shirt website. The song was released through Threadless in conjunction with a new design by the company. Check out the t-shirt design or listen to new song “Absent Afternoon” below.
Download: Calexico – Absent Afternoon [MP3]
We all love Will Scheff and his band Okkervil River, but Will recently released a split 7″ with Charles Bissell of The Wrens. Will covers The Wrens “Ex-Girl Collection” while Charles covers Okkervil’s “It Ends With a Fall.” The release is already out in stores, but if you want, you can head straight over to Jagjaguwar Records to purchase your very own copy.
Download: Will Sheff – Ex-Girl Collection [MP3]
Daytrotter brings us another great set this week with Austin’s own Black Joe Lewis. Mr. Lewis and the gang play 5 songs in the studio including unreleased song “Snatch It Back And Hold It”. Download/Stream all the songs now. Long live Black Joe!
Download: Black Joe Lewis – Snatch It Back And Hold It [MP3]
Those of you who got all bent out of shape about Bon Iver not appearing on our year end lists can now satisfy your love for the band by streaming their latest EP. The EP is called Blood Band EP and can be streamed from myspace as we speak. The physical release date is set for Jan. 20th on the Jagjaguwar record label. Enjoy!
Usually solo artist Luke Temple recently formed a group with some of his Brooklyn friends called Here We Go Magic. The band is planning to release their debut self-titled LP on Feb. 24th via our local record label Western Vinyl. First single “Tunnelvision” can be found below. It’s getting heavy play around the ATH offices.
Download: Here We Go Magic – Tunnelvision [MP3]
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When it comes to the Austin music scene, it’s pretty difficult to break into the scene out of nowhere, as most bands that make it out have spent years winning over audiences in our town. Built by Snow is set to be one of those bands, as they release their album Mega on January 20th.
The first actual track, “Something in 3D” immediately catches any listeners ears, as their angular pop melodies infectiously invade your head. The backing vocals of “whoos” and “whaas” add the perfect compliment to the song’s structure. It’s a song reminiscent of early Rentals material.
Another solid track, “All the Weird Kids Know,” follows with a similar strength, as the band goes all the way back to traditional 80s pop sytlings as they create a number that most bands would kill to create on their own. This is one of those songs that everyone yearns to hear, and it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser as they seek to etch out their place in the local Austin market. Besides, who doesn’t love a well-done gang vocal?
They slow it down a little in the middle, allowing space and Nintendo-esque keyboard work to provide the skeletal workings of their gentler numbers. Sure, there are some gaps here that show a necessity for further song exploration, but even the base of a song like “A-Beta” shows a band that is willing to work on all aspects of their album, rather than just settling for the same patterns over and over.
In all actuality, the band has reference points left and right, though they never seem to rest solely on the forefathers of their sound. Hints of The Rentals dash in and out due to the keyboard work, but then they push you in another direction. “Invaders” recalls a less catastrophic version of Los Campesinos, as the band spins you around your room with fists in the air. Once again, they win you over with their willingness to keep it simple and clean, all the while keeping it as catchy as possible.
One of the best things for this band’s album has to revolve around the fact that they don’t misstep once. It’s possible that the infectious hooks might not be for everyone, but for those that adore this genre, they will be pleased to know that it’s solid through and through, which is a great accomplishment for any band, especially such a small fish in a large pond. At the end, we can all be thankful for a new band worthy of our time and adoration here in our home town.
Look for the band around town as they have sets this Thursday at Beauty Bar and their CD release party on January 24th at Club Deville.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/03-all-the-weird-kids-know.mp3]Download: Built By Snow – All the Weird Kids Know [MP3]
